Richie Laryea has found his way back to TFC after a short stint at Forest

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Richie Laryea was lost in Nottingham Forest.

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After a dream transfer to the EFL Championship club last January, nothing quite worked out for the talented full-back. Laryea has only featured in five games for Forest.

But now he’s on his way back.

Toronto FC head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley confirmed on Thursday afternoon that Laryea would return to TFC on a loan deal (as first reported in the Toronto Sun) and could even play on Saturday night when the Reds take on Nashville SC at Geodis Park.

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“We’re way down the road with Richie back,” Bradley said. “It’s not quite finished, but I think we’re all optimistic that the main parts are done. I think things are pretty much there.

After three seasons at Toronto, where he became one of Major League Soccer’s top full-backs, Laryea signed with EFL Championship side Nottingham Forest on January 8, 2022 on a three-way transfer from TFC. and a half years. .

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However, the Toronto native has only featured in five games for newly promoted English Premier League side Forest. Laryea is a member of Canada’s national team, which qualified for the World Cup in Qatar this fall and no doubt the speedy fullback wanted to go somewhere he can play regularly. TFC would definitely fit that bill as there is a big need at right-back. With a few off-season signings, Laryea had fallen on Forest’s depth chart (the club added Neco Williams and Giulian Biancone) and word is Forest manager Steve Cooper may decide to add another right-back. It was clear that Laryea probably wouldn’t see much action if he stayed in England this season, even though he had long dreamed of playing in Europe.

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With his return, the Reds would have two strong full-backs. Italian international Domenico Criscito plays at left-back.

Laryea signed with TFC on March 21, 2019 after Orlando City, who drafted him as a midfielder in the 2916 MLS SuperDraft, announced on November 27, 2018 that they had declined his contract option. The Reds converted Laryea from midfield to right-back and he has flourished in the position. He played 83 games in total and contributed nine goals and 12 assists for TFC.

The Reds are battling to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs with 11 games to play and six points out of a post-season berth with six teams to clear. TFC chairman Bill Manning, Bradley and their staff have made significant changes during the summer transfer window – bringing in Italian national team stars Criscito, winger Lorenzo Insigne and midfielder Federico Bernardeschi , as well as midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye and central defender Doneil Henry, both Canadian internationals. There’s no excuse for this team not winning games at this point, but the question remains…is there enough time to grab a playoff spot with so many teams? ahead of them in the standings?

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“We’re not in a great position in the table (MLS) but we’re not that far either,” said TFC centre-back Lukas MacNaughton, “So if we play the next two games well, we we know that we can be in a play-off position, and then from there, we are not afraid of any team.

Bradley was clearly excited about the addition of Laryea.

“Richie has experience as a right-back or a left-back,” the coach said. “He has a very good ability to manifest himself. Defensively, he grew in many ways with his different experiences. Highly valued and respected within the club – I think that part fits very well with everything we’ve tried to do.

“I’ve seen it all,” added Bradley when asked about Laryea’s progress as a fullback over the last 3-4 years. “He took a lot of steps. You could just see when he got the chance how hard he jumped on it. I had the opportunity to speak to him several times before he left (for Forest). I know how much he loved the club and how much he loves Toronto. All of this played into the possibility of bringing him back. He seems very excited about it. The players are excited, the guys who know him, and he seems excited and everything is working out great for everyone.

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Earlier in the week, the Reds loaned 22-year-old left-winger Jacob Shaffelburg to Nashville for the remainder of the 2022 season, with an option for a permanent transfer in 2023.

On the injury side, Kaye, who has missed a few recent games with a lower-body injury, was back on the training ground this week, as was centre-back Shane O’Neill, who has suffered concussion problems. Goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who has missed games with a rib injury, trained alone on the pitch Thursday.

“He did a bit today. It was positive,” Bradley said of Kaye. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow from what he did today.”

“He hasn’t taken a real dive yet,” Bradley added when asked about Westberg. “He did easy manipulations, stuff with the ball at his feet, he’s still not quite ready to get back into everything a goalkeeper has to do.”

Watching the TFC players train on Thursday, it was apparent that Bernardeschi and Insigne had swapped hair colors, with Bernardeschi going from blonde to dark and Insigne the other way around.

“It’s hard to keep up,” Bradley said. “But I understood.

“Mine stayed pretty much the same for a long time,” the closed-cut trainer added with a laugh.

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